4chan User Arrest

4chan User Arrest

FEBRUARY 7--Another 4chan devotee has been arrested by the FBI, this time for downloading child porn from the notorious web site and posting threats to go on a shooting spree at his Michigan college that would result in dozens of fatalities, The Smoking Gun has learned.

According to an FBI affidavit, Ali Saad, 19, posted death threats “on a popular internet website” in late-November. In those posts, Saad included photos of Columbine High School killers Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris and wrote that he was confident that he could top the “high score” amassed by Seung-Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech student who killed 32 people in April 2007.

While the “popular internet website” is not named in the affidavit, Saad told TSG that it was 4chan.

In a November 27 message, Saad wrote of opening fire with an AK-47 at a Biology lecture class attended by hundreds of students. “500+ students. Lol,” he wrote, according to FBI Agent Christopher Pennisi. Saad, pictured in the above mug shot, noted that he planned to set up a laptop and broadcast the shooting live online via Stickam, the popular streaming video web site. “10:45 am, turn laptop to face 500+ students, pull out ak47 I got from gun show and unleash mayhem. Def going to beat cho.”

That message ended with a “Thanks for help /b/ros. Be sure to tune in.” The term “/b/ros” refers to regulars in 4chan’s anarchic “/b” forum.

In response to 4chan posts, “two different people who read Saad’s threats online reported him to the FBI.” With 4chan’s assistance, investigators quickly connected Saad to the messages, according to Agent Pennisi: “The internet protocol address of the computer that posted the message to the website was captured by the website and made available to the FBI.” And by “made available,” the FBI means it was provided to agents without the use of a subpoena or search warrant.

During a November 29 raid at his Dearborn home, Saad reportedly copped to using his laptop “to post a threat to shoot people at Wayne State on the internet 3 separate times.” While Saad “denied intending to actually commit a shooting,” a forensic examination of his computer revealed that “he researched other mass shooting incidents in the United States, including school shooting incidents, prior to posting his threat on the internet.”

While being interviewed by agents, Saad admitted to downloading about 25 child pornography images from 4chan, Pennisi reported. A review of his laptop’s hard drive “revealed more than 20 stored files containing child pornographic images” that were downloaded between November 20-21.

In a brief interview, Saad said that he first visited 4chan “a week before everything happened,” claiming that he went to the site out of “curiosity” since he had seen it described as the “dregs of society.” Saad, now attending Henry Ford Community College, added, “And I got fucked for it.”

Saad, arraigned Friday at U.S. District Court in Detroit on a pair of felony charges, is free on $10,000 bond. He is next due in court on February 25.

The Saad probe is the latest federal case to involve 4chan and its enthusiasts. Last April, site founder Christopher “Moot” Poole testified as a government witness at the criminal trial of David Kernell, the 4chan user who hacked Sarah Palin’s e-mail account and then posted stolen material on 4chan. Last month, a 4chan user was sentenced for his role in a vicious cyberbullying campaign launched on the site’s “/b/” forum. And at least two ongoing cases involve Poole’s creation--one examining the downloading of child porn by a Navy sailor, and the other probing computer attacks launched against PayPal and other perceived corporate enemies of WikiLeaks. (7 pages)

Comments (23)

People People listen up im not going to preach cuz im 17 and hell i got alot more to learn in my life.. Yes this man who was arrested committed a crime punishible by death, but really who are we to judge im going to take a guess that most of us have f***ed up and did something stupid. to the guy who admitted to liking little kids thats ur choice its not a good one but its wrong, yes us kids use our web cams and stuff and do stupid shiat with them. but as parents arent u supposed to be moral compasses for us, if i had a daughter i would certainly not buy her one cuz all it takes is one click on a website to post something and there is a virus that can enter the computer and bamm she is one every porn site and web show we create. so i ask parents to think before u give into ur little princesses and monitor wat they do cuz honestly everything on the web is free game. we need to think before we act so that we can make good decisions for us and the safety of our kids and other peoples kids.

This is a misunderstood young man, what is wrong with all of you?
It is a religion of peace and it is all your fault that this mere boy, manchild, is angry.
He needs to get with the cheerleader or the yogurt maker and cast his fustrations aside.

He is being persecuted for being a Muslim. Mohamed of Medina was 53 years old when he "consummated" his "marriage" to NINE-year-old Aisha ("wife" number __?__). So we know that Islam does not recognize child pornography as wrongful. Accordingly, it is against Islam to punish this fine Muslim man for doing as his "Prophet" did.

Muslims, the most misunderstood and persecuted peoples not only in human history, but in the entire universe as well. The rest of us just 'Don't get it'. We should all just save them the time, trouble, ammunition, and energy, and just kill ourselves. We are pure evil...

He isn't in stupid ass muslim land, he is living in another country and should respect their ways or leave. You can't just be a complete dick in someone elses culture and then say you're being persecuted. He was going to go on a killing rampage and you say he is being persecuted. Grow up you idiot.

4chan.org is noting but trouble. My daughter browsed that demon infested anti-Christian web page and what it brought us was noting but trouble. Somehow the perverts on 4chan.org hacked my daughters webcam and took naked pictures of her when she was changing. After they did this they spread the photos all over the internet. They then proceeded to send pizzas to our house which we did not order and kept calling at all times throughout the night to tell me I "lost the game". I was outraged at this so I contacted the administrator of 4chan.org, moof, and he like the child he is did not handle the situation in a professional manner at all and instead he emailed me back a youtube link which he said would be a video of him apologizing. Surprise when I clicked on it it turned out to be a 80's pop music video. I am currently in the process of suing moof and all of 4chan.org. I warn you stay away from these trouble makers.

Give me a break...do you even know what your daughter is doing with the webcam? There is NO WAY that someone can access her camera WITHOUT HER PERMISSION!!! You should focus your anti anti-Christian evil on your own family first!!

I'll say....uh pcef1, take a breath, relax, and re-read theonetrueanti4chanwarrior's post. Now that you realize he was making a rather funny joke you realize what an ass you are, right? Oh, wait, you have never heard of a "rick-roll"? ummmmmmm.....yeahhhhhhhhhhh.... pcef1....we're gonna have to move your cubicle....... to the basement.....yeahhhhhhhhhhh....
Oh, and by the way you probably don't get Commander Shepard's post either do you? I'll explain later...

I went on 4chan for the first time the other day just to see what the fuss was all about. On the /b/ board there were child porn pictures and links to child porn. It was sick and I reported it to the FBI.
I hope whoever posted that filth goes to prison and finds out what it's like to be raped in their assess against their will.
I can't believe this site exists. Those of you that get off on it...I pray for murder and death upon you. I have nothing but hate for all of you Motherfockers.

HEY GUYS I LIKE CHILDREN
You people are honestly *** retarded, think about it. Wouldn't you have some creepy pedo looking at cp rather then raping you 8 year old girl
Realize, that people everyday contemplate doing things like mass murder or rape. The only reason we don't is because of ridicule. But if you have nothing to lose like some of the people on 4chan who are foreveralone.jpg and not socially acceptable its perfectly within reason to see why people do the things they do
AND BY THE *** WAY ITS *** /b/ GOD *** DAMNIT

You are a truly disgusting human being. There is absolutely nothing reasonable about what you and your ilk are doing. You are directly contributing to the rape and exploitation of CHILDREN.
You do not deserve to live in our society. I hope you get arrested soon and are raped and murdered in prison.
And by the way: you just admitted in a public forum to using and masturbating to child porn. Remember that when the FBI shows up at your door.

Communications Decency Act protects site owners from anything posted by a 3rd party. Why would, for example TSG, be held accountable if someone comes in and makes a threat towards someone? A good rule is to remember that you are responsible for you, and no one else is responsible for you. Doesn't matter if you're under 18 or you used your parents wifi or a starbucks..none of that applies in the real world. Also - If ya cant do the time, you dont commits the crime. With that being said, I dont support nor am I against 4chan as a site..You have to admit, Its the few bad apples that ruin everything - such is life on every other popular website and even in the real world. If you want to stay out of the muck, avoid /b.

Because the posting happens sort of rarely, is completely against the rules, and is deleted ASAP by the moderators. The owner of 4chan himself hasn't committed a crime in providing a lax imageboard. The people who upload the content did.
It's like if child pornography was posted on Youtube (and this has happened), and then calling for Youtube to be shut down.

Deleted immediately? Funny. I posted a picture of the site owner with a red X across his face with a message that denounced child pornography. That was immediately removed. Interestingly. the pictures and links to the kiddie porn were still up.
Please explain that one genius.

Not that I support 4chan or /b/, but:
Most 'cp' is removed within minutes by hired moderators. I'm sure that the owner, 'moot', would not post an official item onto 4chan.org just to talk about 'cp', also. Although it is a terrible thing, there are terrible people that enjoy it. But I also know why some may. How did you find this post made by the site owner if you do not visit 4chan, either?